I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lockable receptacles and, more particularly, to a high security lockable receptacle for a key and which is designed to be attached to a door or like structure.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In the event of a fire, particularly at commercial establishments, it is necessary for the fire officials or firemen to rapidly gain access to the interior of the building in order to extinguish the fire. This is particularly true for commercial establishments, such as chemical companies, where the potential damage from such a fire is particularly hazardous not only to the commercial establishment but also to the surrounding area.
In order to ensure access to the building when it is unoccupied, it has been the previous practice for such business establishments to deposit a key to their building establishment with the fire department. Such keys are maintained at the fire station by the fire department on a ring or other suitable holder. Thus, in the event of a fire, the fire officials bring the key ring with the attached keys to the scene of the fire and, utilizing the appropriate key, gain access to the building establishment.
This previously known procedure for ensuring access by the fire department to a building establishment, however, as disadvantageous in a number of different respects. First, this prior practice is disadvantageous in that a large number of business establishments who have deposited keys with the fire department oftentimes reside within the zone or area of a single fire station. Thus, it is necessary for the fire officials to sort through the multiple keys in order to find and identify the correct key for a given business establishment. While the search for the appropriate key takes only a matter of minutes, in the event of a fire, a few minutes can be critical. Likewise, it is necessary for the Fire Department Emergency Medical Services to gain quick access into convelenscent homes, senior citizen high-rises, nursing homes, hospitals and the like to give immediate medical treatments.
A still further disadvantage of this previously known practice of deposition keys with the first station is that two separate fires frequently occur within the same zone or area of a given fire station. In this event, it is necessary for the firemen answering the second or later fire call to first travel to the scene of the first fire in order to pick up the key ring to gain access to the building establishment of the second fire. As before, such procedure is time consuming and oftentimes critical in the event of a fire.
Oftentimes, however, the Fire Department destroys the door, windows or the like to gain access to a fire. Such action, however, is disadvantageous in that it precludes the Fire Department from relocking the premises after the fire is extinguished or in the event of a false alarm. Moreover, this causes extensive damage to the premises.